Probably, it will be the first time that the Worlds was tinged with the social color deeply like thus. One month has passed since the holding of Worlds in Tokyo was canceled under the influence of the East Japan Big earthquake and the accident of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
Six countries of the world gave their name for the venue of the substitution and finally, it was fixed to Moscow. Moscow City and Russia Skating Federation have achieved a stunt of preparing the biggest international event of the season in the short term like three weeks. By the stage effect which imagined Japan in the opening ceremony, they gave warm encouragement to Japan being on the way to the revival.

As for this one week, I always made the feelings to Japan of players, press corps, and skating fans of each country of the world be noticed. Almost every day, I was asked from journalists of each country about the situation of present Japan and I listened to the voice which is sorry for canceling of Tokyo Worlds, saying "It is good if Japan get to be able to host the big international competition again early, isn't it?".

The player and the one-time players also speak the message which equally is anxious for "The country which loves the skating most in the world". From the skaters, such as Filip Candeloro (France), Stephane Lambiel (Swizerland), who are proud of the high popularity in Japan to a young player who has good memory in the international competition which was held in Japan. As one of them, there was a player also like Ross Miner (USA) who is anxious for the practice environment of Yuzuru Hanyu sincerely, because he had known that the rival, Yuzuru Hanyu (Tohoku High School) who stood together on the podium in the Junior Grand Prix Final, was Sendai residence.

Japanese player was conscious of being the event which differs from ordinary than anybody.

Will what have gotten the feel of the atmosphere which is different from usual Worlds with the skin more than anybody, in such situation, be not Japanese players? What started is the event which has become the big topics also in Japan because it was canceled once. Figure skating is the outstanding popular sports in present Japan and the audience rating of the competition, too, is high. As for the Worlds in this time, they will have felt that their medal getting is expected of us more than the Worlds of every year.

During the term of the Worlds, a lot of Japanese players said that they had thought various things about what they can do for the disaster area.
They were accosted busily with a word to be anxious for Japan from an oversea fellow player and were asked about a lot of query concerned to the earthquake from domestic and foreign journalists. They always put on the same emblem and the mourning band and continued to stand in the presence of other people.

Therefore, it was not that all of 10 players of 8 teams of Japan representative said so directly, but I think that they had been conscious to that it is the maximum role which they can do and they should do that they play an active part in the Worlds of this time.

For any player who participates to the Worlds, the difficulty of the way to make a peak of the adjustment match with the change of schedule was equal. However, in point of being burdened with the expectations from everyone in the country more than the usual Worlds, the Japan Representative must have been tighter than the player of any country.

In 10 representatives, Miki Ando (Toyota Motor) is the player who made a comment on the earthquake disaster more frankly than anybody. It may be the reason also of that she knows the pain of losing a family because she had lost her father by traffic accident in childhood. Following the charity in Fukuoka in March, she seems to flight to St. Petersburg of the western part of Russia for participating to the charity ice show for Japan after the Worlds. As for the Charity Performance Meeting in Aichi Prefecture which she can not participate because her schedule overlaps it, she cooperated aggressively, such as helping to find the vacant rink in this period.

About the role of herself which was assigned in the Worlds in this time, too, what told without flinching everyday was Miki Ando.
She said, &#8220;Even under any situation, it does not change that this is the Worlds. But, for Japan and for me, I still think that the Worlds of this time is a special competition. I wish everybody recover the vigor from the mental depression while as many person as possible watched my skating&#8221;.
Even before the competition which she was apt to speak with downcast eyes because she couldn't regain the usual condition readily, she spoke seeing our eyes tightly whenever she tells that thought. The felings of 23 years old was as frank as taking our breath away and was as pure as can be.

However, for the skater to convey "a feelings" to someone, "the skill of the skating", too, is necessary.
In this season after the Olympics, Miki Ando participated to a lot of ice show, while piling the stoical practice in the rink of 5 countries in the world as the training base. Under the foundation of the practice which had been piled "as if permeating a body", she won 4 victories in the 5 competitions, from the Cup of China of GP series at October to the Four Continents at February. Also as for the contents aspect, she left the stable high level result that the performance of free skating is almost perfect consecutively in five competitions. This substantial one year gave her the big confidence which can endure even to the mentally severe situation like a "Worlds after the earthquake disaster".

Of course, the height of her ability as jumper of her who had jumped the quad jump and the triple-triple combination jump of the highest difficulty level easily since her childhood, is still alive. Even in this big stage, getting the substantial practice and the firm confidence, the genius of jump challenged the aggressive program which she jumps 5 jumps consecutively in the second half which her strength has declined, while displaying the ability as much as she can. She has jumped a jump too easily, but I can feel really more strongly that this ability is not ordinary when it is the big stage which is called the Worlds.
Because Miki Ando jumped the beautiful Lutz easily in the second half while the leading skaters in the world missed jumping even an easy jump under the pressure of "the last competition of the season".

&#8220;The difficulty etc of myself are a very trifling thing.&#8221;

Then, what made Miki Ando of this event bright most is her ability which changes a feelings to a form. If asking the players what feelings they are skating to a program with, they say, "I am thinking about jumps almost and then I think as for not looking down and as for making eyes meet with judges" or they say, "I become the smiling face naturally for joy if I have been able to jump successfully". In a place for competition, they can never forget whether or not they can succeed as for the most important elements. However, if being the born jumper like Ando, it seems to be hardly thought that she skates to a program while worrying about the result of the jump. If downgrading the difficulty level from triple-triple to triple-double and from double Axel-triple to double Axel-double, like this time, there is not any reason to fear the jump.
In return for that, she can skate while always entertaining "the feelings which she wants to hand on to everybody".

She said, &#8220;In Japan, a lot of persons are still being with a sad emotion and a disastrous emotion. Compared with it, my difficulty etc are a very trifling thing. I had an anxious feelings against the competition, but a very strong feelings had welled up in my heart when I thought that my pain etc are a trifling thing if thinking of the pain of the persons of Japan.
Therefore, I skated while thinking about Japan, namely while wishing that as many persons as possible got the smiling-face again with watching my performance of today.

&#8220;The power which change a feelings to a form&#8221; which Ando showed.

This "the power which changes a feelings to a form" is never a superficial polish. For example, in "Requiem" of the short program of last season, she skated while thinking of her deceased father and, in "Cleopatra" of the free skating, she skated while thinking about the queen who lived out her powerful and beautiful life. She must have been able to do so, because she is the very player who came as far as here while always groping for her expression way since Turin Olympics.

The program "Piano Concerto" of such Miki Ando in the free skating appealed to the audience more strongly than that of any other players and became a requiem to the people who passed away by the earthquake disaster. There is rarely a skater who can express "a feelings" with a form beautifully like this. There is not a skater whom the requiem suits better than Ando.

Among the things which the top athlete of the sports which is proud of the prominent popularity in Japan can achieve "for Japan" and "for the earthquake victims", Miki Ando could show the best one. In this situation, Miki Ando achieved that, which was not been able to achieve if all of skill, effort, spirit, etc had not been matching, even if being understanding the role which she should achieve and even if being having the feelings which she want to achieve.
At the same time, Miki Ando showed to the world that she is authentic as athlete.